Moonstruck Chocolate's Beer Berries

Portland's Moonstruck Chocolate Co. just announced the launch of Beer Berries. Although Oregon is world-famous for both craft beer and delicious summer berries, these two delicacies have not been cross-bred (yet, anyway).

Instead, Moonstruck enveloped roasted barley within layers of dark chocolate. Depending on the variety and level of roast, barley takes on wide range of flavors which include caramel, nut, chocolate, and coffee. As you might expect, all of these flavors pair quite nicely with dark chocolate.

The folks at Moonstruck sent me a sample bag. In addition to having a nice coffee flavor, the roasted barley used in Beer Berries also adds a nice crunch to the chocolate. Needless to say, they're delicious. But then again, you could dip a boot in Moonstruck Chocolate and it would still taste good!

“There’s
a natural affinity between the work of our local micro-brewers and what
our company strives to do with chocolate every day - from a commitment
to
small batch production to fully developed flavors, chocolate and craft
beer definitely complement each other,” said Moonstruck Chocolate
Master Chocolatier Julian Rose.

The
idea for beer berries developed after Moonstruck’s Master Chocolatier
and Panned Chocolate Manager visited a craft brewery located
across the street from the company’s Portland, Ore. headquarters. The
duo was intrigued by the unique flavors of the brewery’s darker beers,
and determined to recreate a similar flavor profile in a tumbled
chocolate product. After several rounds of experimentation,
the team established on the perfect balance of malted dark wheat and
chocolate.

The beer berries are entirely alcohol-free, and the name gives a nod to the dark wheat’s role in the brewing process.
Dark wheat is traditionally used as an ingredient in German style wheat
beers like dunkelweizen, a cousin of the more common hefeweizen.
The
wheat undergoes a malting process, releasing sugar and giving it a
naturally sweet flavor. The wheat is then roasted, which imparts notes
of coffee, caramel and even chocolate, as well as a
noticeably darker color in the final beer.

Dark
Chocolate Tumbled Beer Berries are currently available at all five
Portland-area Moonstruck Chocolate Cafés and on the Web at
www.moonstruckchocolate.com. The suggested retail price is $6 for a four-ounce
package.

About Moonstruck Chocolate Co.

Since
1993, Moonstruck Chocolate Co. has been handcrafting artisan chocolates
that not only delight the senses, but also nourish the imagination.
Moonstruck uses only the finest and
freshest ingredients, including superior quality cocoa beans
originating from some of the most exotic locations in the world.
Moonstruck Chocolate’s master chocolatier, Julian Rose, was named as one
of
Dessert Professional’s Top Ten Chocolatiers for 2009 and Moonstruck’s award-winning creations were featured as the official chocolate of the
77thand 78th Annual Academy Awards®.
Moonstruck’s chocolate creations are handcrafted, hand-decorated and
hand-packaged in Portland, Ore., and are available around the country at
select retailers, online at
www.moonstruckchocolate.com, and at the five Moonstruck Chocolate Cafés located in
Portland.